Chilling evidence has emerged of the br*tal execut!on of two Ukrainian prisoners by Russian troops.

Graphic drone footage appears to clearly show two surrendering Ukrainian PoWs being k!lled in a hail of nine sh0ts fired by Putin soldiers near Robotyne in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.

The apparent cold-blooded killings are believed to have happened last month, but the footage just surfaced online this week.

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Regional Prosecutor's Office has started a criminal investigation into the flouting of the rules of war and premeditated murder by invading Russian troops.

The shootings are being probed by Ukraine's SBU security service.

The Russian soldiers are believed to be from the 70th motorised rifle regiment, which is already under investigation for previous heinous killings of PoWs.

'The killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as a grave international crime,' said a Ukraine report based on the distressing footage.

Ukraine has previously claimed that Russian forces are under orders from their commanders to sl@ughter captured Russian troops.

Last month the severed head of a surrendering Ukrainian PoW was placed on the bonnet of a captured Kozak-2 armoured vehicle.

Andriy Kostin, prosecutor-general of Ukraine, said at the time: 'This is dreadful barbarism that has no place in the 21st century.

'This is further confirmation that the aggressor's war crimes are not isolated instances, but rather a part of the Russian regime's planned policy.

'These criminal orders were issued by the occupation forces' battalion and company commanders.

'We will not let these crimes go unpunished.